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Last
week, in 1 Peter 1:13-21, we were told to be holy and fearful because we have
been purchased by God with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We saw that
Christ is eternal, but even before the foundation of the world the Triune God
had decreed that God the Son would put on flesh in order to live, die, and be
raised again in order to pay for the sins of humanity. He was manifest in these
last times for us. Through Jesus Christ our faith and hope are in God. Today,
we will complete that famous Christian triad by adding brotherly love.

READ Scripture- This is the Word of God

Love One Another (22)

The
command in verse 22, which comes in the second half of the verse, is for
Christians to continue to love one another. This love is given two qualifications:
it to be fervent and from a pure heart. Fervent, pure-hearted love is deep,
stable, reliable, and constant. Christians are to be committed to one another.

The
command is to love one another deeply and from a pure heart. The basis of the
command comes in the first half of verse 22: you have purified your hearts. While
Peter has already acknowledged that the end of our faith is the salvation of
our souls, he now says that the beginning of our faith was the purification of
our souls. You have had an active part in your regeneration, but it is a
completely responsive role that you have played. You have simply obeyed the
truth. The truth must refer to what the Christians first heard from Gospel
preachers. They had heard the truth of the Gospel of Christ and obeyed it. Remember,
Jesus said that He is the Truth. They heard of the Christmas story, His life
and ministry, and His death and resurrection. They responded positively to that
message of Christ’s atoning work, and you have done the same. You do not earn
your salvation. Christ has earned it for you. You do not work for your
salvation. Christ’s work is more than enough to save you. Yet, you do obey,
and, in doing so, you purify your souls. Notice that even your obeying is not
totally on your own. It is through the Spirit. (The NIV does not have this
phrase because some early manuscripts do not have the words). Yet, we all know
that the Holy Spirit has an active part in the purification of our souls. He
does a great work in you that motivates your obedience to the truth. This is
the beginning of the Christian life, the new birth. The purity of your souls is
also seen in the sincere love you show for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The fruit of a purified soul is the willingness to love others.

Exhortation: Peter commends the Christians for
their love of one another and instructs them to continue to love one another
deeply and pure-heartedly. The application for our lives is the same. If you
have loved one another, you have done well. Now, love one another that much
more fervently and purely.

New Birth by the Word (23-25)

For
the second time in the first chapter, Peter points us back to our conversion (v3
“begotten us again to a living hope”). He points us to the time when we
committed our lives to Christ, when we were born again. He teaches here that
the new birth is by means of the word of God. So, we are not born again by any natural
means (corruptible seed). Do you remember when Nicodemus visited Jesus at night
and talked about the new birth? He could not understand Jesus and asked in John
3, “How am I to be born again when I am old? Am I to climb into my mother’s
womb to be born again?” On that occasion, Jesus said, “That which is born of
the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” That is
what Peter is teaching here. We are not born again through corruptible seed (i.e.
human seed) but through incorruptible seed (i.e. the word of God). Of course,
the word is going to be put on full display in the next few verses, but we are
given two descriptions of the word here: the word lives (active, powerful, and
provides life) and abides (constant and enduring). This is a further
elaboration to the statement that the seed of the word is incorruptible.

The
connection between verses 22 and 23 is clear: you should love one another
because you have been born again. The power to fulfill the love command comes
in the new birth. It comes by the power of God at work in you.

The
OT quote in verses 24-25 comes from Isaiah 40:6-8. We are told twice in this
paragraph that we are like grass. Just as grass withers and flowers fade, so,
too, are all people. The fact that grass is short-lived serves as a great
illustration. Like grass, we are here one day and gone the next. We do not live
forever. We are not dependent upon ourselves. God is the giver and taker of
life. He alone is the everlasting God. We are physically fragile. We are also
morally fragile. We are susceptible to the wiles of the devil, the fallenness
of this world, and our own selfish desires. People come and go. Like grass, we
spring up for a time and quickly die. Yet, the word of God stands forever. When
God speaks, the matter is settled for eternity. The everlasting God speaks
everlasting words.

At
the end of verse 25, Peter adds a comment to the OT quote and makes clear that
the Gospel is the word of God. This living and enduring word of God is the
Gospel. Peter and Paul agree: the word of God is living and active; the word is
the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.

Exhortation: Put your life in proper
perspective. Put the word of God in proper perspective. You will not live
forever, but the Gospel word of God enables believers to be born again and live
forever in a redeemed and glorified state.

Growth by the Word (1-3)

Based
on what has just been said about the word of God, Peter now makes a summarizing
and exhorting statement. Because of our new birth by the word of God, we must
lay aside (rid yourself) all sorts of sinful thoughts and behaviors. These
things destroy love for one another.

Definitions:
malice (ill-will, desire to do harm to another); deceit (entrapment, fraud,
deviousness); hypocrisy (pretentious, fake); envy (resentful, spiteful); and
evil speaking (backbiting, slander, defamation). There is no room for these
things in the Christian life. Those who have been born again actively resist
and rid themselves of these things in order to love their brothers and sisters
fervently and pure-heartedly. This is what the believer does after the new
birth. This is sanctification, Christian growth toward maturity.

Peter
taught just a moment ago that new birth was through the word of God, and now he
teaches that continued Christian growth is through the word of God. You continue
the Christian life the same way you start. You finish the same way you start,
by faith and by the word of God. You continue in the faith, grounded and
steadfast, not moved away from the gospel which you first heard. Peter uses a
baby as an illustration. Just as a baby craves the milk that will make it grow,
so, too, should Christians crave the pure milk of the word which will make them
grow. What makes the baby desire the milk? When they get a little taste, then
they know they need more. It is satisfying, comforting, filling, and
nutritious.

Exhortation: Desire the word of the Lord.
Crave it. Long for it. This is how you will grow as a Christian. This is how
you will rid yourselves of all kinds of wickedness and be holy like your Father
in heaven is holy. You have tasted the Lord’s graciousness, now latch on.

Conclusion

I cannot think of a better
message for us as we go into a new year. We want to be those who are full of
God’s word, ridding ourselves of sin, and loving one another fervently and
pure-heartedly. We are not like those of this world. We have been born again.
We have tasted the Lord’s graciousness, and we want more. Let us, together,
pursue those things which make for love, holiness, and Christian maturity.
Forsake the corruptible things of this world, and chase after the incorruptible
things of God.

You
have to know what the “therefore” is there for. Peter now wants to gather all
of the thoughts of the first twelve verses and give a summary and exhortation.
The basis of the exhortation is God’s saving work in Christ. The exhortation is
to live a holy life. While God could say, Live
a holy life because I say so, He actually says, Live a holy life because I have saved you.

(1)
“Gird up the loins of your mind.” Tuck in all of the loose garments to run,
work hard, or fight. Pull in all of the loose ends. Get your life in order. Get
your mind ready for action. (2) “Be
sober.” Spiritual steadfastness. Disciplined mind. Alert mind. Stop dabbling
into worldly things which lull you into spiritual slumber. (3) “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that
is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This third
directive is the main imperative. Peter has been focusing all of our attention
on the second advent of Christ. That is when salvation is experienced in its
fullest sense. In fact, the last phrase of verse thirteen is the same as the
end of verse seven, “At the revelation of Jesus Christ.” For Peter, “hope”
means to trust Christ for the future (Piper).

Now,
verse 14 is linked to verse 15. The exhortation becomes blunt, “Be holy.” The
current result of setting your hope on Christ for the future means that you
will live a holy life now. A girded and sober mind is for holiness in this
life. So, he pictures believers as obedient children. Remember, we have been
“begotten again,” that is, we have been born again by the power of God. We now
belong to Him. We are His children. And as any good children, we should be
obedient not so much out of fear but out of respect and gratitude. Verse 14
gives the opposite of holiness- conforming to former lusts and ignorance. The
opposite of Christian holiness is to behave like unbelievers. It is to not
experience a changed life. If you claim to be a Christian but still continue to
live like you always have even before your proclamation of faith, you may want
to examine yourself to see if you are really in the faith. I think there is an
epidemic of people in this country that have a false assurance of salvation. If
you want to know if you have really been born again, here are some tests: do
you set your hope for the future on Jesus Christ, do you have a changed life? We
are told to be holy because the One who called us is holy. How did he call us?
He called us out of death and into life, out of darkness and into light.

Exhortation: Pursue holiness because of the
second advent of Christ.

Be Fearful (17-19)

Verse
17 is conditional. “If” you call on the Father, conduct yourselves in fear.
While we were commanded in the first paragraph to be holy, now we are commanded
in the second paragraph to be fearful. We will talk about why we should conduct
ourselves this way, but let’s first look at the description of the Father in
verse 17. He is said to be the one who judges without partiality. How can one
be sure that a judge passes judgment without partiality? Well, the judgment
would have to be based on each one’s work. That is how God judges. There is no
preferential treatment. There are no bribes. There are no biases. What a person
does is the basis of his/her judgment in the eyes of God. Of course, we know
that we are all found to be sinners in that case. We are all guilty, but God
has sent forth His Son in order to redeem us.

Now,
let’s return to the conditional statement. If you call on the Father, that is,
if you claim to belong to Him, if you call out to Him for salvation, then
“conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.” If the
basis of judgment is our work, then our conduct better be acceptable to God,
right? Well, we can come back to that. Notice that Peter refers to the pilgrim
idea once again in the phrase, “the time of your stay here.” We are just
passing through. We do not belong here. We will not be here for long. But the
time that we do spend here matters. It counts.

Look
at verse 19: we will be judged by our work/conduct and yet one has gone
before us to redeem us with His own precious blood. Now that is a great
motivation for reverent fear. If I may speak personally, I want to live a holy
life because I have a healthy fear of not living up to the gift that I have
been given. Am I trying to earn my own salvation? Certainly not. I’m trusting
in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and yet I want to please the Lord with
my life. We are not those who live in terror, but we are those who have a
healthy fear.

We
are “redeemed” “with the precious blood of Christ.” We have not been redeemed
with corruptible things. Christ has not purchased our salvation and freedom
with things like silver or gold. No, we have been redeemed by something much more
precious than that. No amount of money could buy the salvation of your soul.
Christ is our sacrificial lamb. Just as the priests would look at each lamb
before the sacrifice to find blemishes or spots, Christ was found to have
neither. He lived a sinless life so that He would be the perfect sacrifice.
That is the point of Christmas. He had to come. He had to live a sinless life.
He had to die.

Exhortation: Notice at the end of verse 18
that it is said that we have been redeemed from aimless conduct. You are a
Christian. You have been bought at the highest price that could be paid. You
have a purpose, an aim in your life. Trust the Lord for the future. Pursue
holiness with all of your being. Keep a healthy fear in reverence to the Lord.

Christmas was for You (20-21)

We
learn several things from the last two verses of our sermon text today. First,
Christ has always existed. He is eternal. Before the foundation of the world,
He was living. Before the foundation of the world, He was foreordained to
purchase the redemption of mankind with His blood. Before the foundation of the
world, the Triune God had decided that God the Son would put on flesh and be
born of a virgin in Bethlehem at just the right time in history. Verse 20 says
He was manifest in these last times. He came on the scene at the appointed
time. He made a grand entrance, the veil was pulled back, He stepped in at the
exact moment that the Triune God had scripted before you were born, before your
parents were born, before America was formed, before the foundation of the
world. Christ’s blood was shed for you. Christmas was “for you.”

Last
week we began a new series in 1 Peter. I told you that I chose this book
because the first chapter has the advent theme all through it. In the first
sermon we saw that Peter was writing to pilgrims, that is, an apostle was
writing to first century Christians. The opening lines were packed with
theological significance and were filled with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We
were reminded that we have been born again to a living hope because of the
resurrection of Christ and to an eternal inheritance. We ended last week’s text
considering the second advent of Jesus Christ, that is, when He returns in
glory, and we are given our inheritance and the “not yet” portion of our
salvation. Christ has come, He has accomplished, He has ascended, and He will
return again one day. On that day we will no longer be pilgrims!

READ Scripture- This is the Word of God

Love, Faith, and Joy (8-9)

Although
we have not seen Christ, we love Him. Those first century Christians in Asia
Minor had never physically seen the historical Jesus of Nazareth, yet they had
a profound love for Him. Just think, there were people so close to the Lord
Jesus in time but are in the same category as us – having never seen Him. Of
course, all Christians have great love for Christ, knowing that He first loved
us by laying down His life for us.

Although
we do not see Christ now, like the pilgrims who received this letter, we
continue to believe. Take a look with me at John 20:29. The basis of faith is
not seeing with the physical eye. We will one day see Christ in all His glory
with our own two eyes, but until then our faith is in the Gospel message which
we have heard and received about Him.

Although
we do not see Christ now, we continue to rejoice. Our joy is (1) inexpressible
and (2) full of glory.

The
point of verse eight is that Christians continue to love and believe in Christ
even in the midst of suffering, even though they have never seen Him. Folks
want to shake their fists at God when they go through trials, but if they would
only know that God put on flesh and came to suffer with us . . . in our behalf
. . . in the person of Jesus Christ, they would know that God is on their side.

The
end of our faith is the salvation of our souls. Why do Christians continue to
love and trust Christ even through hardships? We look forward to the end of our
faith. There will be a culmination, a fulfillment, and end. Do not be confused
by the word “souls” as if only an immaterial part of us is saved. The world
“soul” refers to the whole person. Remember Jesus saying that God can destroy
both body and soul in Hell. He saves both as well.

People
can be saved from many things: a fireman may save you from a burning building;
a policeman may save you from a robbery; an advisor may save you from financial
ruin; or a doctor may save you from a disease; but there is only One who can
save your soul.

Exhortation: Rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ, continue to love and trust Him. In due time you will receive the end of
your faith.

The Prophets Preached Grace (10-11)

We
have already seen that salvation is through faith in Christ. Now we see more
about this salvation: (1) the prophets inquired about it, (2) the prophets
searched carefully about it, and (3) the prophets prophesied it. Let’s discuss
each of these three parts.

The
Prophets Inquired about Salvation:

The
prophets surely studied the Scriptures which had been written by those before
them; they surely poured over the revelations that they had received; and
surely they called out to God in prayer. They were consumed by the story of
salvation for mankind.

The
Prophets Searched Carefully about Salvation:

What
or what manner of time was indicated. This is an emphatic statement. The
prophets wanted to know when the salvation plan was going to take place. They
wanted to know when the Messiah was coming on the scene. When was Christmas
going to take place?

The
Prophets Prophesied about Salvation:

How?
By the Spirit of Christ in them.

When?
Beforehand. (This has always been the plan of God).

What?
Grace. Sufferings of Christ. Glories to Follow.

At
the end of verse ten, we see the first time that Peter says the grace was going
to be for us (he says, “To you”). Christmas is our salvation.

Exhortation: Be assured that your salvation
is secure. The coming of Christ in the Christmas story was no accident. The
sufferings of Christ were not by chance.

The Apostles Preached Gospel (12)

Apparently
the prophets found answers to their inquiries and searches. Verse twelve gives
the information: the prophets learned that they were not speaking for their own
time, but for those who would hear the Gospel after Christ’s first advent. The
prophets were ministering to us. Those godly men of old prophesied of the grace
that would come to us, and it did come to us through the preaching of the
apostles and the early Christians. How? By the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
What? The Gospel.

The
last line of verse twelve is intriguing. The statement is made with no
follow-up, no elaboration, not even another reference. Like the prophets of old
who inquired and searched about salvation, we are told that the angels desire
to look into these things as well. I heard one preacher say that the angels
“stretch their spiritual necks” to see what this is all about. The angels in
heaven have been a major part of the story of redemption, but they do not have
the perspective of men and women. We are those who are saved. The angels do not
fully understand why Christ had to come and die in this world, but you know.
You know why Christ had to come – to save sinners like you and me. Maybe one
day after the second coming of Christ – maybe one day we can sit down with some
of those angels and explain to them our perspective.

Christmas
is not what the world wants to make it: commercialized, materialism, Santa Claus,
etc. Christmas is about our salvation.

READ Scripture- This is the Word of God

From Peter to the Pilgrims (1-3)

The
opening verses of Peter’s first letter are packed with theological
significance. There is the standard “from” and “to” but so much more. First of
all, the letter is from Peter. Many critical readers today claim that Peter did
not write 1 & 2 Peter on the basis that the Greek writing is too good for a
poor, Galilean fisherman. Yet, the letter states at the very beginning that it
is from Peter. From the earliest of days, the church has affirmed that Peter
was the author. Peter claims the title of “apostle” in the opening line. While
the word could simply mean “messenger” or “sent one,” Peter uses it here in the
technical sense. He was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ as an apostle of
a select group for a specific purpose with special authority. We all probably
know Peter from reading the Gospels. He was one of Jesus’ inner-circle; he was
the leader/spokesman for the twelve disciples; he betrayed the Lord three
times; he was restored by the Lord after the resurrection; and he preached the
first Christian sermon on the day of Pentecost. His life and ministry was
marked by ups and downs, but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he ended up as a
strong apostolic leader of the early church.

After
naming himself as the author, Peter then states the recipient of the letter:
the pilgrims of the Dispersion. Peter refers to Christians as pilgrims, a
designation he also uses in 2:11. The reason for the title is Christians do not
belong to this world but are only passing through. Our citizenship is in
heaven. That is why it is so sad to see so many Christians tangled up with
worldly things. Our satisfaction is not ultimately found in this world. Our
treasure is not in this world. Our treasure is in heaven. You know that this
life does not last forever. We are only on this earth for a few decades. We are
like a vapor which is here for a little while and then is gone. Life is like a
blink of an eye. Let me encourage you to not waste your life. If you are older,
don’t waste the time you have remaining. If you are younger, don’t waste the
time that God may permit you to have. Tomorrow is no guarantee. Long years is
no guarantee. Trust the Lord today. Store up treasures in heaven. Stop dabbling
into the lusts of this world.

Christians
were scattered all over the Roman Empire because of mission work that had been
done by folks like Paul. Peter writes to Christians in five different places in
the same geographical area of Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. If you
take a look at a map, you will find these places close together. The word
“dispersion” is probably related to “pilgrims.” These Christians are not
ultimately where they belong, but will soon be gathered together.

“Elect”
means chosen and is often used of Israel but now refers to Christians. The
election is on the basis of God’s foreknowledge. He looked into the future and
knew that you would put your faith in Him. He declared in eternity past that
all who put their faith in the Messiah would be chosen for salvation. Then it
says, “In sanctification of the Spirit.” You are being made holy. The Holy
Spirit comes into your life to put to death the deeds of the flesh. This is
part of your salvation. This is part of your election. And so is obedience. As
you become holy, you become obedient. Lastly, you are saved by the sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. He came into the world to save sinners, people
like us, by the sprinkling of His blood (His atonement).

Peace
was a common greeting and goodbye in the Jewish culture, but it had been
transformed by Jesus Christ. He went to the cross to make peace between mankind
(those who come to God by faith in Christ) and God the Father. Jesus, on the
night that He was betrayed, said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to
you.” After He was crucified and raised from the dead

Our Inheritance (4-7)

Incorruptible-
it can’t be destroyed, changed, or taken away.

Undefiled-
holy and godly.

Does
not fade away- it is not going anywhere, it is eternal.

Reserved
in heaven for you- it is reserved in heaven for you. That’s why we are called
pilgrims.

Verse
five goes on to say that we are kept in our saved state by the power of God. We
are not once saved always saved people, but we preach the assurance of
salvation. “If” you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved from
the Gospel which we first believed. God’s power keeps us saved through faith.
Salvation is an already not yet.

Here
is the second advent- salvation will be fully revealed when Christ returns.
This is something worth rejoicing over. This motivates joy like nothing else.
Even in the midst of hardship, we rejoice. There is a reason for our hard days.
Everybody has hard days, whether they are Christians or not. The Bible gives us
some answers. There is a God-ordained reason for everything that happens in our
lives. One significant reason for trials is to prove the genuineness of our
faith. Those trials prove that you have your faith which is for salvation. When
the wind of God’s wrath blows, you will stand because your faith has been
tested and proven to be strong in the Lord. When He returns, there will be
great rejoicing because that is when you will receive your full salvation, your
heavenly, eternal inheritance.